I’ve got to agree with others here. I wouldn’t in any way label this a fail. As a matter of fact it’s more than a win, because it’s literally the reality of it. Nobody is perfect, and in a life or death situation training like this, putting yourself under pressure when all of the chips are in your pocket, is what’s going to get you through for real for real. You’re good to go bud. And thank you for showing the people who don’t train, just how important training really is. It’s literally the difference between life and death when the chips are down.
I thought this vid was great cause regardless of not getting it going first try, you did and for most people attempting this the first time it's good to see how to work around these problems. Sometimes seeing someone nail it fast and effectively doesn't help others to process the information like I felt this video allowed.
For lack of a better term, that was the most helpfully 'realistic' tutorial I've come across. It really touched on so many pitfalls of starting a fire that I've faced out in crappy conditions. Watching someone skilled work through it for real is a huge help.
Arguably this is the best way to teach how to light a fire in the wet, because you showed how NOT to do it as well. You warned about rushing to light the fire before having enough kindling in your last wet weather fire video. Proof is in the pudding, thanks for your content Clay
I agree @joshjames253. I feel alittle chit chatty: In general. Learn from our mistakes and try to find more positive ways and outcomes. Surround ourselves, yourself with positive events, people and situations. Which leads to a phrase I say a lot “Hunt the Good,” and don’t focus on the bad. Seek the positive. The negative or mistakes can ruin you and your mental game if you keep dwelling on them. Learn from mistakes, and drawn them with positivity. Have a good day. Hunt the Good.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. And that's the best argument I've seen for throwing away a multi tool and carrying a real knife I've seen so far. Thanks for letting us see the whole/real process.
live in Alaska and I've tried this exact same sinerio like 2 weeks ago on a solo camping trip. I failed and was cold all night, so I respect the process thanks for content like this Mr. Hayes. Helps alot 🙂
Thumbs up for working on/practicing/maintaining those skills that everyone who hunts in the mountains should probably have. I neglect this type of stuff OFTEN, I know I do, and I know that one day it could be to my determent. I spend so much time working on my bow, muzzy, or rifle, or scouting for elk, or thinking about what the elk or doing, etc... my heads always in "the game", that I never make time to practice basic survival and woodsmanship. It's hard to just slow down, and do this stuff. I did my last hunting trip, only because I couldn't find elk. I figured, "well, I might as well build a fire or two for practice, I've got nothing better to do..." You definitely know how to work wood, i'm guessing it's those bowyer skills coming out, and I'm jealous of your archery range. All i've got is a bale in the basement. Great work man! As an aside, I started following you before you went on Alone. You used to do alot of videos for BHA. When I saw you on alone, i was like, "Hey i've seen that guy!" I was pulling for you the whole time, I wanted to see a hunter from the intermountain west win it, and you did. I wouldn't last a week, hell, maybe not even 3 days. My metabolism is too high, and I'm not skilled enough to find enough food.
You’re on the right track by getting more interested in overall woodsmanship! One of the values of outdoor recreational pursuits is that they often arouse curiosity about everything in nature, including living in it. Take care, and good hunting! 🦌👍
It's possible and even do-able to get a fire going under bad conditions. But real-world survival seems to come with even more challenges, like actively downpouring, cold/hypothermia messing with your dexterity, injuries keeping you from being as mobile, terrain blocking you from better materials or locations, physical exhaustion... It's a huge part of why I think learning these skills is so important for just about everybody who wanders the backcountry. If you struggle under mild challenges, then you'll be screwed when you need these skills for a real-life safety scenario. Good to learn for ourselves and all those under our care -- just in case. Thanks for putting this content out there. It's worth adding it to the old "Backcountry College" series. There has been some changes at BHA so maybe there's an opportunity for more custom content with them again.
It’s some good reminders that preparation of wood for every phase of fire building and mindfulness in action goes a long ways. I reckon taking the rush out the pace would go a long ways in regulating one’s nervous system in a dire situation. I really appreciate the real time, no cut video. Jump cuts are not my favorite. Thank you for sharing fire making skills!
The best thing about this video is that it shows just how much work is involved in outdoor living. Doing everything from scratch makes one appreciate modern conveniences even more-when finishing an outing, I like to treat myself to a hearty cheesesteak sub just the way I like it. Keep your powder dry! 👍
Man the second that spark took a hold my soul cried "ME MAN I MAKE FIRE, ME MAN I DANCE IN RAIN !" Appreciate all that you do man Congrats on conquering alone Seriously the embodiment of what one has within them self if they just simply tried whole heartedly. Hope you stay golden Clay God Bless you and the fam also take care everyone ! time for me to get me trunks and start a fire !
Here in the UK we have more Christmas tree looking conifers with dead branches at the bottom of live trees, which is very helpful. I just smash dead branches into stumps as I don't have the tools that could handle battoning, you get loads of dry splinters in different sizes in no time. You live in a gorgeous place, a nice backdrop to some realistic fire making, I love it.
So many stories about people losing/misplacing their black ferro rods. Having a handle that you can rig a lanyard to helps, especially if you use orange paracord for the lanyard. High viz colors always for those small items you take out of the pack, that can easily be misplaced.
This video is a great display of skill. How you transition from one technique to the next. Very fluidly as the situation calls for it. Some people might not even be able to appriciate the intricacy of it all. But having been out there. Trying many times to get fires going in the rain and snow... i often go back when im editing the footage. Like..." i wish i thought to do this.. or that..." its skills ive practiced. But being able to incorperate them all so seamlessly speaks to years and years of experience. I hope you put out more videos. I really enjoy your vids.
My best time was just under 10 minutes. I heard your words of advice and took time to really prepare the setup and a good bird's nest. Once that was done, I made a fire in 30 seconds! WOW, it really pays to take a deep breath and think it through first.
When I was in Boy Scouts, years ago, we would have fire building events at our camporee's every year. It was about 10 other troops/patrols vs the other troops/patrols. You had to build a fire using any method of ignition (bow drill, friction, 1 paper match, magnifying glass, etc) and burn 2 strings that were strung across the fire ring. One string was set at 12" above the ground (which was as high as you could place any wood) and the other string was set at 36". The object was to build a fire from scratch and burn through the top 36" string in as short of time as possible. My patrol always won that competition. It was a fun exercise to fine tune your fire making skills. It was all about the prep. Get it setup up right and you could burn that top string in under 2 minutes. But that is having 6 guys all working on a different part of the fire and not solo. Wish we would have had solo competitions. Might have to try it some day.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, a normal man learns from his own mistakes, a fool learns from no one's mistakes. Thanks for being real so that we can all learn what not to do... as well as what we should do.
A lot of good information here for people to know especially wood processing techniques without much in the way of tools. And to process 2 to 3 times more material than you think you need. Also realizing the colder you are and the more stress you are under will make this that much harder, so you are showing how important it is to control your emotions. And this is also a time injuries are more likely to happen. Thanks Clay and Coy Great video!
Great and honest video👍🏻 As you said: take your time for the preparations - completely agreed! To me again it proves that a multitool is an addition to a fixed blade knife. Another tip for you: if the wood is tough and your knife small whittle a wedge, then do an initial batoning to get a slit into the log and then hammer the wedge into the log instead of wasting time and risking your folder by batoning.
The first time I went to look for fatwood I thought it would be a big deal. I shortly realized in the Mountain West just about everything is fatwood. Which is kind of scary as regards forest fires. Good video showing not only fire building but slowing down. I could use that! :)
Great video of what you face in real life, real time situations and how small decisions lead down roads with real consequences. You showed how to flex and adapt and overcome. The tools you have, the time you have, the mindset you have, the environment you're in, the resources available to you all come together as ingredients in a stew you get to be creative with. There's always cool things to learn looking back and ways to improve because no 2 situations are identical and no execution is all together perfect. Very inspiring video for me. Thanks!
Almost every time I try to baton wood with my knife in a real situation where I don't have everything perfectly situated in advance it never works the first time. The wood is too tough, too knotty, knife gets stuck etc. Glad to see it's not just me. I'll definitely be incorporating that half-way saw and split technique into my own fire starting skillset though. I always learn something new when I watch your videos.
That's why I always carry Cold Steel's Trail Hawk. Yes, a little heavier, yes, a little larger in size. But much more functional than a multitool in the forest. Paired with a small knife, you don't need anything else to have a fire in almost any weather. Thank you for showing people how it can be by example.
I knew there was a reason I like carrying my fixed blade along with my multitool. Not being sarcastic in any way I genuinely hadn't thought about the difficulty of splitting wood with a leatherman.
Use your knife (and saw) to make a baton and wedges. Use unlocked blade to start a split line then use wedge to split up to large logs. No need to risk knives, even tough fixed blades in real serious survival. Dry wood can also be reached shaving into smaller sticks with a knife by simply removing wet bark. Before YT, we did everything with a slip joint 2 blade or a 110...it can be done lol. All the best, Clay and family.
I must say, never baton with your knife. It is far too easy to break the knife, get the blade stuck, or be injured cut if it breaks. A broken tool won't help you survive as well as an unbroken tool. A bleeding injury is never good in any situation. Instead of batonning the knife, make some wedges from thumb-diameter limbs/wood and use those for splitting. Hammer them into the wood with another piece of wood. If you have a saw, you can start the split with it, to make the job more easy when driving the wedges. Being in a survival situation requires a clear thought process and good well-honed skills. When you are cold, wet, tired, and hungry you are being handicapped both mentally & physically. Each easy action you perform, when in good conditions, becomes a difficulty when in bad conditions. Do not rely on a, seat-of-your-pants, method such as batonning with a knife. It can be difficult to do in the best of times and disastrous to do in the worst of times when mistakes are more apt to happen.
I'm not a outside guy being paired with my wheelchair and all But your video was So fun me and my buddy tried to do it today. Thank you for the instructions, it was super misty after rain today but we got a fire goin in 24 mins it was fun not using fire starters and doing this ourselves.
Here in the one we took suffer from soppy wet weather for about 8 months a year. After watching you I definitely need to get out and practice more often!
Good job! I'm a big fan of small split pieces and lots of them. I find them more effective than feather sticks. Also since I always carry a little toilet paper I often use one sheet as my starter tinder. I'm also a fixed blade kind of guy
Not always too big to baton. Try angles and corners to chip away at it. Often we fixate on baton right down the middle ,which by diameter is the most difficult ; )
Great video. It shows how difficult firelighting can be in poor conditions and the importance of a good cutting tool. I live in Wales, UK and we get more than our fair share of rain. We also have crazy knife laws which limit us to a 3" folding blade for legal carrying. That size makes processing larger wood difficult. Your video shows that it's best to take the time to prepare your materials properly and smaller. Nice job! 👍👍
Those are challenging conditions: wet wood in the wind. I'm sure no expert, but I've learned a few things through the years. I've learned that the more time spend prepping your material before you put spark to tinder, the better the chances of turn that spark into a fire. Relative humidity plays a huge role as well, in how much wood needs to be processed, and to what degree of fineness the tinder should be, to start and "keep" your fire lit. I became aware of this fact in prescribed burn exercises. It's all about the quality of the tinder, how much tinder and how much wood you've processed - IMO.
I carry a multitool as well, and i know theres a limit to how much gear you want to carry, but i also carry a thick, full tang small dagger. I find a small (8") fixed blade to be invaluable and worth the extra weight/space. I carry an old dagger that is 1/4" thick, good quality steel that i made myself specially for this purpose. Its thickness makes it extremely strong and suitable for baton'ing, prying, twisting, etc. I made it full tang of course, but i carried the handle end of the blade an inch past the end of the handle, and while i was making the blade i heated that tang extension and hammered it towards the tip end so that it thickened, gained density and mushroomed. I shaped it and after heat treating I had a surface suitable for hammering with, or hammering on, to drive the blade into things. Although heavy for its size, the little dagger is indestructible and ive found it to be invaluable in survival situations. I lived in Alaska for about 15 years, working as a bush pilot, and whenever my friends and I went caribou hunting or on extended canoe trips (if you ever get the opportunity, travel the Koyukuk river through the Gates of the Arctic...its amazing) people would watch me with that dagger and instantly want one. I highly recommend it- benchmade makes some suitable models as well.
Respect! for not starting over with a fresh take after that first fail! Had to laugh at myself at the 15:50 mark--I actually leaned forward to breath on that waning flame! 🤣
Hey Clay, fun video as always. I'd like to make a suggestion if no one else has done so; take a few seconds to make a wooden wedge the next time your blade is too small. Use the blade to create the space for the wedge and use your baton on that. The bigger the log, the more wedges. I've seen this done up to 24" logs and bigger.
Please, no one take this as a hate comment because this was an incredible video, but in the future for whoever’s reading this PLEASE DO NOT shake a tree like he does at 0:57. My father did something very similar, and especially with dead trees like this one they can crack at the top and fall back and hit your head. He was very lucky to only have the injury he did, and he walked out fine, but it’s rather dangerous.
Been there Done That! FFFFFing COLD! Busted up a pine tree that was totality dead. Had no problem collecting twigs and branches of every size. In the back country of Yellowstone.
Nice demo, kind of adds perspective for tjhose wondering. One more thing you can do is make finger size pieces and feather one end, also you can use one of the smaller splits as a wedge when you start batoning
I really thought you were going to snag some birch bark along the way. It's definitely one of my favorite things for starting fires, and works fine even when soaking wet. I see some aspen, and possibly some cottonwood, so I wouldn't be surprised if there is some birch close by. That said, the way you did it was probably even better for teaching purposes. There is not always birch nearby, but there is always dead standing dry wood, if you are in any sort of bush or forest. Thank you for a great video. This is probably one of the best fire making videos anyone has made.
Clay, If your trying to baton a piece of wood with a folding knife or even a small fixed blade, take the time to carve a wedge that you can drive into the initial split made by your blade! This will save your blade and allow you to split MUCH larger logs than a small knife could handle!
If you had a wedge shape from say flint, it would help open the wood up. Could use a stick end to help drive it down the length of what you’re splitting. Obviously, that may not be available. I really like that though you had a plan, you made but admitted your mistakes and what you should have done initially to get a quicker success. That demonstrated both what can go wrong as well as right. Good job, not an easy task!
This is something you probably already know but from now making I've learned that sort of "scraping" like you would for a tiller can make a really fast hot kindling. I've started doing that for my initial flame then a feather stick type of fire. Also going against everything I was taught I have started laying larger wood down on the bottom to. Make a base for the fire really makes for a solid fire once the coals start falling down between them.
We build fire in snow by laying a base like you said and then building a “traditional” fire on it as a sort of double whammy. It looks kind of like kindling and coals sandwiched between larger pieces. Good memories, but hard work!
Amazing video Clay and it shows people the reality. Its possible to light a fire in really wet conditions but its not a walk in the park. I deal with wet conditions most of the times here in the jungle of Bali. Cheers mate and thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us
Quality video as always, the bigger pieces of wood can be laid like a bed to start the fire on, level surface and keeps the fire off the cold and wet. Hardwood this way make great cooking coals. Good to see the next generation involved
Good video about the difficulty's of starting a fire. Don't forget the Blood triangle, saw you slip a couple times. Rain cold and stress easy to forget the safety measures even for someone as experienced as you!
I think 2 things would make this faster and easier. 1. a stone to smash up your small wood into tinder and kindling, fast. 2. a candle stub to hold the first flame you made. You can find the rock easily, carry a candle stub in your pocket. Also have your wood laid before you strike your flint or match. Choose a location protected from strong wind and rain.
I agree with your choice in wood and I learn from the experience of others . I got some definite ideas on how to increase my chance of making a fire in the rain or wet conditions
I personally would try using something like the bill of the cap or anything dry to catch the sawdust you created. Still a good challenge to take on. You did well and thank you for taking us along.
Good job getting it going. I like when making the fire is somewhat difficult. They are the most rewarding fires. I was scanning the trees in the background for pine sap leaking out of old wound. Some pine pitch would’ve helped out a lot.
Hurry up and slow down…something I always tell young crew that I teach things to. And I’m a fussy kindling prepper too. Some good tips in there, cheers Clay 🤙🏼
Awesome video as always. I spend most of my free time in the north coast range mountains of Oregon. It’s an extremely wet place . We practiced this very thing during hunting season. This is a great challenge video for everyone to sharpen the most necessary skills.
2:00, when snapping logs like this you want to pull because it’s more torque and you can get a good rhythm going, ive snapped trees as large as the one you tried pushing down earlier that way, it’s all in the torque your body can create
👍👍👍 A worth-watching exercise .. much can be taken from this. Yep, it is noteworthy that with many 'bush crafters' out there, how conveniently what is required to get a fire going just 'pops up' 😏. The saying, 'more Haste, less Speed' comes to mind .. as any paint expert will tell you, "Preparation is 90% of the End Product Quality." Notwithstanding the local 'Forstamt' doing their scheduled clearing and thinning out, leaving plenty of fuel lying around to get a fire going, my forest is pretty wet this time of the year. DON'T .. cut down a living tree / sapling, or, set the forest alight. The Swiss Authorities have no sense of humour in this regard with eye-watering fines 😳 being the order of the day 😏. Perhaps the real lesson to be learned is not to be 'caught short', or even better, try not getting oneself into a 'survival situation'. There are so many good ideas out there regarding fire-lighters / tinder, that one should be able to get a fire going under most circumstances. However, 'train hard and for the worse scenarios' also comes to mind. A good share .. thanks. Take care ..
Just another perspective, in life you have to do small boring tasks in order to complete one big chunk of a goal , persistence is the key , Think from every angle possible to get to it ⚔️ Like in this video small pieces are required to get the fire started 💥
Instead of trying to baton with your multitool, use it to make wedges of wood and baton those, or you can use the saw to make shallow cuts on either side of the middle of a recently thick piece of wood then chip out the wood in between each saw cuts on the opposite sides parallel to each other in the middle, so you have strong sides and a wedge in the center of the piece, you can then use the wedge kind of like a fire by gripping each end of the log and just slamming the wedge center into the other log, once you get it started you can split the wood that way and then save your multi tool from being damaged
" _Small stuff on fire catching slightly bigger stuff on fire_ . " If you can remember that, you can light, build, and maintain a fire. The "secret" is: the more gradual the increase in size of the stuff (fuel), the greater the chance the fire can build up to lighting something larger like a branch or log. And it might take a lot more stuff than you think. After the tinder (1) is ignited, perhaps, 2 handful of toothpick sized twigs, 3 handfuls of pencil sized sticks, and 4 handfuls of bigger sticks about the size of a quarter. Don't smother it. This is probably the minimum to have hope of burning wrist/forearm sized branches which will be the basis of burning logs (lower and upper leg sized). Wet wood, like the type you'll find in all but deserts, will take quite a bit of constant heat to drive out the moisture. You can do everything right and still have a wet log win the battle (fire dies out). Seen it many times.
Great job! Real life stuff. I think by making a wooden wedge from a piece of wood would speed up the splitting of kindling, but save your Leatherman from possible failure. A wooden wedge can be made in under a minute but can split many pieces for you. Thanks for the info.
Use you knife (not locked) to start a split. Then take a small branch and whittle it down into a wedge. Use that wood wedge to help split the logs. Felix Immler has videos about doing this.
I have found that using the saw blade vertical against the grain creates a nice fine or finer tender. Nice job showing the challenges of creating fire even with a fero rod.
Depending on your location, Sassafras burns very easily and dies often, so it's easy to find standing dead sassafras of all sizes. Small dead sassafras twigs will light from a match or lighter, etc.
You could carve a small wedge out of a hard stick, maybe a little larger than your thumb, start the split with the leatherman, then use the wedge to batton into the small log to split it.
It’s funny that I tried the same thing in Kentucky last week, while taking a break from deer hunting. I used my Tops Tracker to make feather sticks and it caught right away using a Clipper lighter. I’ve used a dozen knives to make feather sticks and the Tracker is the best, in my experience.
Great real life/real time demo. Great to see an example without ideal conditions, materials and tools - far more analogous to an actual survival situation. I'd only add that I wouldn't baton anywhere near my femoral artery, particularly with an unstable blade (5.20 onwards) glad you moved over to a branch as a base for this 👍 Just discovered your channel and really loving it. Subbed, Atb from the UK, Andy
Awesome showing your mistakes. Also Cutting a small wedge to drive in to and split the pieces instead of risking you only knife. Also filing a small pile from the ferro rod into the feather stick. before sparking it.
Great stuff! I appreciate the uncut, raw footage that shows the whole process, with raw emotions, frustration etc. Awesome!I did also similar video on my channel, but I edited that heavily (shorts format). Thanx! Great channel btw. Cheers from a fellow outdoors lover/youtuber from a village of Fiskars, Finland!
![What's in the box?! 1890s Safe [Restoration]](/img/n.gif)
Seeing someone as skilled as you struggle is actually a huge confidence boost for beginners such as myself.
Glad to help😉
Seeing someone as skilled as the author struggle actually means I'd be proper f'ed ... :o :)
I have so much more respect for someone who's willing to show their mistakes instead of just showing perfection every time.
@@truthseeker922 yea survival is about metal to staying possitive
@@elderizback3752also about good sized metal and sharp metal
I’ve got to agree with others here.
I wouldn’t in any way label this a fail. As a matter of fact it’s more than a win, because it’s literally the reality of it. Nobody is perfect, and in a life or death situation training like this, putting yourself under pressure when all of the chips are in your pocket, is what’s going to get you through for real for real.
You’re good to go bud.
And thank you for showing the people who don’t train, just how important training really is. It’s literally the difference between life and death when the chips are down.
I thought this vid was great cause regardless of not getting it going first try, you did and for most people attempting this the first time it's good to see how to work around these problems. Sometimes seeing someone nail it fast and effectively doesn't help others to process the information like I felt this video allowed.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yes I agree.
16 minutes with wet wood. Well Done. I couldn't help but think of the saying: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Well done, though none the less.
For lack of a better term, that was the most helpfully 'realistic' tutorial I've come across. It really touched on so many pitfalls of starting a fire that I've faced out in crappy conditions. Watching someone skilled work through it for real is a huge help.
Arguably this is the best way to teach how to light a fire in the wet, because you showed how NOT to do it as well. You warned about rushing to light the fire before having enough kindling in your last wet weather fire video. Proof is in the pudding, thanks for your content Clay
It takes a real dude to air his mistakes and fumbles in action. Good video
Thank ya
100% agreed.
Awesome workmanship . Detailed and organized. I will show this off on our next woods ride. Thank you.
I agree @joshjames253. I feel alittle chit chatty: In general. Learn from our mistakes and try to find more positive ways and outcomes. Surround ourselves, yourself with positive events, people and situations. Which leads to a phrase I say a lot “Hunt the Good,” and don’t focus on the bad. Seek the positive. The negative or mistakes can ruin you and your mental game if you keep dwelling on them. Learn from mistakes, and drawn them with positivity. Have a good day. Hunt the Good.
This man practices what he preaches!
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
And that's the best argument I've seen for throwing away a multi tool and carrying a real knife I've seen so far.
Thanks for letting us see the whole/real process.
No, carry both, two is one! He could have lost his ferro rod, then what, friction fire in those conditions, not likely!
@@rogerjensen5277Absolutely agree, 2 is 1 ✨💫💎
No need to throw away the multi-tool but a BETTER STRONGER KNIFE is a GREAT SUGGESTION!
live in Alaska and I've tried this exact same sinerio like 2 weeks ago on a solo camping trip. I failed and was cold all night, so I respect the process thanks for content like this Mr. Hayes. Helps alot 🙂
EXCUSE PLS? Can You tell us why You failed? Ir what You think that You did WRONG?? Thank You
Thumbs up for working on/practicing/maintaining those skills that everyone who hunts in the mountains should probably have. I neglect this type of stuff OFTEN, I know I do, and I know that one day it could be to my determent. I spend so much time working on my bow, muzzy, or rifle, or scouting for elk, or thinking about what the elk or doing, etc... my heads always in "the game", that I never make time to practice basic survival and woodsmanship. It's hard to just slow down, and do this stuff. I did my last hunting trip, only because I couldn't find elk. I figured, "well, I might as well build a fire or two for practice, I've got nothing better to do..." You definitely know how to work wood, i'm guessing it's those bowyer skills coming out, and I'm jealous of your archery range. All i've got is a bale in the basement. Great work man!
As an aside, I started following you before you went on Alone. You used to do alot of videos for BHA. When I saw you on alone, i was like, "Hey i've seen that guy!" I was pulling for you the whole time, I wanted to see a hunter from the intermountain west win it, and you did. I wouldn't last a week, hell, maybe not even 3 days. My metabolism is too high, and I'm not skilled enough to find enough food.
You’re on the right track by getting more interested in overall woodsmanship! One of the values of outdoor recreational pursuits is that they often arouse curiosity about everything in nature, including living in it. Take care, and good hunting! 🦌👍
Good job and thanks for sharing honest struggles of time pressure and wet conditions. Reminds me of the old saying “ fast is slow and slow is fast”.
You bet
It's possible and even do-able to get a fire going under bad conditions. But real-world survival seems to come with even more challenges, like actively downpouring, cold/hypothermia messing with your dexterity, injuries keeping you from being as mobile, terrain blocking you from better materials or locations, physical exhaustion... It's a huge part of why I think learning these skills is so important for just about everybody who wanders the backcountry. If you struggle under mild challenges, then you'll be screwed when you need these skills for a real-life safety scenario. Good to learn for ourselves and all those under our care -- just in case. Thanks for putting this content out there. It's worth adding it to the old "Backcountry College" series. There has been some changes at BHA so maybe there's an opportunity for more custom content with them again.
It’s some good reminders that preparation of wood for every phase of fire building and mindfulness in action goes a long ways. I reckon taking the rush out the pace would go a long ways in regulating one’s nervous system in a dire situation. I really appreciate the real time, no cut video. Jump cuts are not my favorite. Thank you for sharing fire making skills!
The best thing about this video is that it shows just how much work is involved in outdoor living. Doing everything from scratch makes one appreciate modern conveniences even more-when finishing an outing, I like to treat myself to a hearty cheesesteak sub just the way I like it. Keep your powder dry! 👍
Man the second that spark took a hold my soul cried "ME MAN I MAKE FIRE, ME MAN I DANCE IN RAIN !" Appreciate all that you do man Congrats on conquering alone Seriously the embodiment of what one has within them self if they just simply tried whole heartedly. Hope you stay golden Clay God Bless you and the fam also take care everyone ! time for me to get me trunks and start a fire !
Here in the UK we have more Christmas tree looking conifers with dead branches at the bottom of live trees, which is very helpful. I just smash dead branches into stumps as I don't have the tools that could handle battoning, you get loads of dry splinters in different sizes in no time. You live in a gorgeous place, a nice backdrop to some realistic fire making, I love it.
So many stories about people losing/misplacing their black ferro rods. Having a handle that you can rig a lanyard to helps, especially if you use orange paracord for the lanyard. High viz colors always for those small items you take out of the pack, that can easily be misplaced.
Definitely
This video is a great display of skill. How you transition from one technique to the next. Very fluidly as the situation calls for it. Some people might not even be able to appriciate the intricacy of it all. But having been out there. Trying many times to get fires going in the rain and snow... i often go back when im editing the footage. Like..." i wish i thought to do this.. or that..." its skills ive practiced. But being able to incorperate them all so seamlessly speaks to years and years of experience. I hope you put out more videos. I really enjoy your vids.
My best time was just under 10 minutes. I heard your words of advice and took time to really prepare the setup and a good bird's nest. Once that was done, I made a fire in 30 seconds! WOW, it really pays to take a deep breath and think it through first.
When I was in Boy Scouts, years ago, we would have fire building events at our camporee's every year. It was about 10 other troops/patrols vs the other troops/patrols. You had to build a fire using any method of ignition (bow drill, friction, 1 paper match, magnifying glass, etc) and burn 2 strings that were strung across the fire ring. One string was set at 12" above the ground (which was as high as you could place any wood) and the other string was set at 36". The object was to build a fire from scratch and burn through the top 36" string in as short of time as possible. My patrol always won that competition. It was a fun exercise to fine tune your fire making skills. It was all about the prep. Get it setup up right and you could burn that top string in under 2 minutes. But that is having 6 guys all working on a different part of the fire and not solo. Wish we would have had solo competitions. Might have to try it some day.
A wise man learns from the mistakes of others, a normal man learns from his own mistakes, a fool learns from no one's mistakes. Thanks for being real so that we can all learn what not to do... as well as what we should do.
A lot of good information here for people to know especially wood processing techniques without much in the way of tools. And to process 2 to 3 times more material than you think you need.
Also realizing the colder you are and the more stress you are under will make this that much harder, so you are showing how important it is to control your emotions. And this is also a time injuries are more likely to happen.
Thanks Clay and Coy
Great video!
Thanks 🙏
Great and honest video👍🏻
As you said: take your time for the preparations - completely agreed!
To me again it proves that a multitool is an addition to a fixed blade knife.
Another tip for you: if the wood is tough and your knife small whittle a wedge, then do an initial batoning to get a slit into the log and then hammer the wedge into the log instead of wasting time and risking your folder by batoning.
Preparation of your shaving and taking your time is a key factor to a successful fire thank you very much Clay
Very true!
The first time I went to look for fatwood I thought it would be a big deal. I shortly realized in the Mountain West just about everything is fatwood. Which is kind of scary as regards forest fires. Good video showing not only fire building but slowing down. I could use that! :)
Great video of what you face in real life, real time situations and how small decisions lead down roads with real consequences. You showed how to flex and adapt and overcome. The tools you have, the time you have, the mindset you have, the environment you're in, the resources available to you all come together as ingredients in a stew you get to be creative with. There's always cool things to learn looking back and ways to improve because no 2 situations are identical and no execution is all together perfect. Very inspiring video for me. Thanks!
Yes, a clear and calm head is THE MOST important thing to have!
Almost every time I try to baton wood with my knife in a real situation where I don't have everything perfectly situated in advance it never works the first time. The wood is too tough, too knotty, knife gets stuck etc. Glad to see it's not just me. I'll definitely be incorporating that half-way saw and split technique into my own fire starting skillset though. I always learn something new when I watch your videos.
Real world we all make mistakes but it’s how we recover from them that makes the difference. Nicely done
Good old pooch running along to keep you company and laugh at your antics!!!
I always wanted to do a survival challenge with just a multi tool. Very cool.
That's why I always carry Cold Steel's Trail Hawk. Yes, a little heavier, yes, a little larger in size. But much more functional than a multitool in the forest. Paired with a small knife, you don't need anything else to have a fire in almost any weather.
Thank you for showing people how it can be by example.
LOVE the trail hawk, cutting edge isn't huge but adequate and you can hammer with it too.
Main part of what u proved prep enough ahead before u start, good job that's 1 reason I love your show , truth
I knew there was a reason I like carrying my fixed blade along with my multitool. Not being sarcastic in any way I genuinely hadn't thought about the difficulty of splitting wood with a leatherman.
Showint the wrong and the right is EXCELLENT instruction!
I think no matter where we are in life or what we’re doing, it’s always good to challenge ourselves in some way
Use your knife (and saw) to make a baton and wedges. Use unlocked blade to start a split line then use wedge to split up to large logs. No need to risk knives, even tough fixed blades in real serious survival. Dry wood can also be reached shaving into smaller sticks with a knife by simply removing wet bark. Before YT, we did everything with a slip joint 2 blade or a 110...it can be done lol. All the best, Clay and family.
The leverage of the tree to break it down - brilliant thanks I will be using that trick!
I must say, never baton with your knife. It is far too easy to break the knife, get the blade stuck, or be injured cut if it breaks. A broken tool won't help you survive as well as an unbroken tool. A bleeding injury is never good in any situation.
Instead of batonning the knife, make some wedges from thumb-diameter limbs/wood and use those for splitting. Hammer them into the wood with another piece of wood. If you have a saw, you can start the split with it, to make the job more easy when driving the wedges.
Being in a survival situation requires a clear thought process and good well-honed skills. When you are cold, wet, tired, and hungry you are being handicapped both mentally & physically. Each easy action you perform, when in good conditions, becomes a difficulty when in bad conditions. Do not rely on a, seat-of-your-pants, method such as batonning with a knife. It can be difficult to do in the best of times and disastrous to do in the worst of times when mistakes are more apt to happen.
I'm not a outside guy being paired with my wheelchair and all
But your video was So fun me and my buddy tried to do it today.
Thank you for the instructions, it was super misty after rain today but we got a fire goin in 24 mins it was fun not using fire starters and doing this ourselves.
Here in the one we took suffer from soppy wet weather for about 8 months a year. After watching you I definitely need to get out and practice more often!
Good job! I'm a big fan of small split pieces and lots of them. I find them more effective than feather sticks. Also since I always carry a little toilet paper I often use one sheet as my starter tinder. I'm also a fixed blade kind of guy
Love the uncut video, Clay! Please make more in the future, it helps me learn better
Thanks for keeping it real Clay. I drill a hole in my ferro rod and tye some flagging tape to it to prevent me from loosing it.
Not always too big to baton. Try angles and corners to chip away at it. Often we fixate on baton right down the middle ,which by diameter is the most difficult ; )
Great video! I think, when we rush, we tend to make mistakes. Knowledge and time will prevail!
Great video. It shows how difficult firelighting can be in poor conditions and the importance of a good cutting tool.
I live in Wales, UK and we get more than our fair share of rain. We also have crazy knife laws which limit us to a 3" folding blade for legal carrying. That size makes processing larger wood difficult.
Your video shows that it's best to take the time to prepare your materials properly and smaller.
Nice job! 👍👍
I was amazed at the patience of the deer, then I realized there were several targets out there!
Those are challenging conditions: wet wood in the wind. I'm sure no expert, but I've learned a few things through the years. I've learned that the more time spend prepping your material before you put spark to tinder, the better the chances of turn that spark into a fire. Relative humidity plays a huge role as well, in how much wood needs to be processed, and to what degree of fineness the tinder should be, to start and "keep" your fire lit. I became aware of this fact in prescribed burn exercises. It's all about the quality of the tinder, how much tinder and how much wood you've processed - IMO.
I carry a multitool as well, and i know theres a limit to how much gear you want to carry, but i also carry a thick, full tang small dagger. I find a small (8") fixed blade to be invaluable and worth the extra weight/space. I carry an old dagger that is 1/4" thick, good quality steel that i made myself specially for this purpose. Its thickness makes it extremely strong and suitable for baton'ing, prying, twisting, etc. I made it full tang of course, but i carried the handle end of the blade an inch past the end of the handle, and while i was making the blade i heated that tang extension and hammered it towards the tip end so that it thickened, gained density and mushroomed. I shaped it and after heat treating I had a surface suitable for hammering with, or hammering on, to drive the blade into things. Although heavy for its size, the little dagger is indestructible and ive found it to be invaluable in survival situations. I lived in Alaska for about 15 years, working as a bush pilot, and whenever my friends and I went caribou hunting or on extended canoe trips (if you ever get the opportunity, travel the Koyukuk river through the Gates of the Arctic...its amazing) people would watch me with that dagger and instantly want one. I highly recommend it- benchmade makes some suitable models as well.
Respect! for not starting over with a fresh take after that first fail!
Had to laugh at myself at the 15:50 mark--I actually leaned forward to breath on that waning flame! 🤣
Hey Clay, fun video as always. I'd like to make a suggestion if no one else has done so; take a few seconds to make a wooden wedge the next time your blade is too small. Use the blade to create the space for the wedge and use your baton on that. The bigger the log, the more wedges. I've seen this done up to 24" logs and bigger.
It was very interesting watching this done under pressure and seeing how easy it could be to lose vital equipment. Great camera work Coye!
Please, no one take this as a hate comment because this was an incredible video, but in the future for whoever’s reading this PLEASE DO NOT shake a tree like he does at 0:57. My father did something very similar, and especially with dead trees like this one they can crack at the top and fall back and hit your head. He was very lucky to only have the injury he did, and he walked out fine, but it’s rather dangerous.
Been there Done That! FFFFFing COLD! Busted up a pine tree that was totality dead. Had no problem collecting twigs and branches of every size. In the back country of Yellowstone.
The unscripted, real time shoot was fun to watch. Thanks for sharing.
Thank ya
Nice demo, kind of adds perspective for tjhose wondering.
One more thing you can do is make finger size pieces and feather one end, also you can use one of the smaller splits as a wedge when you start batoning
Nice challenge! Good job, with all its little difficulties. Always learning a few things when watching you work. Thanks Clay and Coye!
Thanks 👍
I really thought you were going to snag some birch bark along the way. It's definitely one of my favorite things for starting fires, and works fine even when soaking wet. I see some aspen, and possibly some cottonwood, so I wouldn't be surprised if there is some birch close by.
That said, the way you did it was probably even better for teaching purposes. There is not always birch nearby, but there is always dead standing dry wood, if you are in any sort of bush or forest. Thank you for a great video. This is probably one of the best fire making videos anyone has made.
Clay, If your trying to baton a piece of wood with a folding knife or even a small fixed blade, take the time to carve a wedge that you can drive into the initial split made by your blade! This will save your blade and allow you to split MUCH larger logs than a small knife could handle!
thanks for the tip
Nice job!
Placement of small, early pieces of fuel is critical…esp wet and windy.
It’s great FUN.
If you had a wedge shape from say flint, it would help open the wood up. Could use a stick end to help drive it down the length of what you’re splitting. Obviously, that may not be available.
I really like that though you had a plan, you made but admitted your mistakes and what you should have done initially to get a quicker success. That demonstrated both what can go wrong as well as right. Good job, not an easy task!
Many thanks
This shows why you should always have a good fixed blade in the bush. Love all you do with your leatherman though.
This is something you probably already know but from now making I've learned that sort of "scraping" like you would for a tiller can make a really fast hot kindling. I've started doing that for my initial flame then a feather stick type of fire. Also going against everything I was taught I have started laying larger wood down on the bottom to. Make a base for the fire really makes for a solid fire once the coals start falling down between them.
We build fire in snow by laying a base like you said and then building a “traditional” fire on it as a sort of double whammy. It looks kind of like kindling and coals sandwiched between larger pieces. Good memories, but hard work!
Amazing video Clay and it shows people the reality. Its possible to light a fire in really wet conditions but its not a walk in the park. I deal with wet conditions most of the times here in the jungle of Bali. Cheers mate and thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us
Dog did the best job helping 😁
Now you’ve made your relaxing camping trip as stressful as an overnight PowerPoint presentation for the board.
Quality video as always, the bigger pieces of wood can be laid like a bed to start the fire on, level surface and keeps the fire off the cold and wet. Hardwood this way make great cooking coals. Good to see the next generation involved
Good video about the difficulty's of starting a fire. Don't forget the Blood triangle, saw you slip a couple times. Rain cold and stress easy to forget the safety measures even for someone as experienced as you!
Thanks for the honesty man. It's a great test.
Best real time .wet, fire vidio I have seen.
Love it. Reality of survival fire making.
I think 2 things would make this faster and easier. 1. a stone to smash up your small wood into tinder and kindling, fast. 2. a candle stub to hold the first flame you made. You can find the rock easily, carry a candle stub in your pocket. Also have your wood laid before you strike your flint or match. Choose a location protected from strong wind and rain.
I agree with your choice in wood and I learn from the experience of others . I got some definite ideas on how to increase my chance of making a fire in the rain or wet conditions
I personally would try using something like the bill of the cap or anything dry to catch the sawdust you created. Still a good challenge to take on. You did well and thank you for taking us along.
Good job getting it going. I like when making the fire is somewhat difficult. They are the most rewarding fires. I was scanning the trees in the background for pine sap leaking out of old wound. Some pine pitch would’ve helped out a lot.
Hurry up and slow down…something I always tell young crew that I teach things to. And I’m a fussy kindling prepper too. Some good tips in there, cheers Clay 🤙🏼
Right on
No lies, real life ! Good job man
Awesome video as always. I spend most of my free time in the north coast range mountains of Oregon. It’s an extremely wet place . We practiced this very thing during hunting season. This is a great challenge video for everyone to sharpen the most necessary skills.
2:00, when snapping logs like this you want to pull because it’s more torque and you can get a good rhythm going, ive snapped trees as large as the one you tried pushing down earlier that way, it’s all in the torque your body can create
👍👍👍
A worth-watching exercise .. much can be taken from this.
Yep, it is noteworthy that with many 'bush crafters' out there, how conveniently what is required to get a fire going just 'pops up' 😏.
The saying, 'more Haste, less Speed' comes to mind .. as any paint expert will tell you, "Preparation is 90% of the End Product Quality."
Notwithstanding the local 'Forstamt' doing their scheduled clearing and thinning out, leaving plenty of fuel lying around to get a fire going, my forest is pretty wet this time of the year. DON'T .. cut down a living tree / sapling, or, set the forest alight. The Swiss Authorities have no sense of humour in this regard with eye-watering fines 😳 being the order of the day 😏.
Perhaps the real lesson to be learned is not to be 'caught short', or even better, try not getting oneself into a 'survival situation'. There are so many good ideas out there regarding fire-lighters / tinder, that one should be able to get a fire going under most circumstances.
However, 'train hard and for the worse scenarios' also comes to mind.
A good share .. thanks. Take care ..
Just another perspective, in life you have to do small boring tasks in order to complete one big chunk of a goal , persistence is the key ,
Think from every angle possible to get to it ⚔️
Like in this video small pieces are required to get the fire started 💥
Instead of trying to baton with your multitool, use it to make wedges of wood and baton those, or you can use the saw to make shallow cuts on either side of the middle of a recently thick piece of wood then chip out the wood in between each saw cuts on the opposite sides parallel to each other in the middle, so you have strong sides and a wedge in the center of the piece, you can then use the wedge kind of like a fire by gripping each end of the log and just slamming the wedge center into the other log, once you get it started you can split the wood that way and then save your multi tool from being damaged
Good tip
I tried this approach for the first time several weeks ago and it worked much better than I had expected.
" _Small stuff on fire catching slightly bigger stuff on fire_ . " If you can remember that, you can light, build, and maintain a fire.
The "secret" is: the more gradual the increase in size of the stuff (fuel), the greater the chance the fire can build up to lighting something larger like a branch or log.
And it might take a lot more stuff than you think. After the tinder (1) is ignited, perhaps, 2 handful of toothpick sized twigs, 3 handfuls of pencil sized sticks, and 4 handfuls of bigger sticks about the size of a quarter. Don't smother it. This is probably the minimum to have hope of burning wrist/forearm sized branches which will be the basis of burning logs (lower and upper leg sized).
Wet wood, like the type you'll find in all but deserts, will take quite a bit of constant heat to drive out the moisture. You can do everything right and still have a wet log win the battle (fire dies out). Seen it many times.
Great job! Real life stuff. I think by making a wooden wedge from a piece of wood would speed up the splitting of kindling, but save your Leatherman from possible failure. A wooden wedge can be made in under a minute but can split many pieces for you. Thanks for the info.
Use you knife (not locked) to start a split. Then take a small branch and whittle it down into a wedge. Use that wood wedge to help split the logs. Felix Immler has videos about doing this.
Slow and steady wins the race 😊
Good job. Preparation is everything.
I have found that using the saw blade vertical against the grain creates a nice fine or finer tender. Nice job showing the challenges of creating fire even with a fero rod.
Depending on your location,
Sassafras burns very easily and dies often, so it's easy to find standing dead sassafras of all sizes.
Small dead sassafras twigs will light from a match or lighter, etc.
You could carve a small wedge out of a hard stick, maybe a little larger than your thumb, start the split with the leatherman, then use the wedge to batton into the small log to split it.
It’s funny that I tried the same thing in Kentucky last week, while taking a break from deer hunting. I used my Tops Tracker to make feather sticks and it caught right away using a Clipper lighter. I’ve used a dozen knives to make feather sticks and the Tracker is the best, in my experience.
I feel like holding the camera for you is akin to holding a flashlight for my dad…. Love the video. Cameraman did great too…
haha
@@clayhayeshunter I’m not even being mean- it’s one of the ways we teach our kids our craft… just ask my kid 😂
Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. This is an awesome video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Glad you enjoyed it
Great real life/real time demo. Great to see an example without ideal conditions, materials and tools - far more analogous to an actual survival situation. I'd only add that I wouldn't baton anywhere near my femoral artery, particularly with an unstable blade (5.20 onwards) glad you moved over to a branch as a base for this 👍 Just discovered your channel and really loving it. Subbed, Atb from the UK, Andy
Realistic. As much as we try to be prepared, that's never to be assumed. .
In a forest full of pines You'd certainly find some fatwood.
It makes fire starting so much easier, especially in wet conditions.
Love me some long leaf pine absolutely beautiful
Fire is all about prep - This was great to watch all the gotchas ;>) Great video ;>)
Awesome showing your mistakes. Also Cutting a small wedge to drive in to and split the pieces instead of risking you only knife. Also filing a small pile from the ferro rod into the feather stick. before sparking it.
Great stuff! I appreciate the uncut, raw footage that shows the whole process, with raw emotions, frustration etc. Awesome!I did also similar video on my channel, but I edited that heavily (shorts format). Thanx! Great channel btw.
Cheers from a fellow outdoors lover/youtuber from a village of Fiskars, Finland!